Elvin Bethea
| Elvin Bethea | |
|---|---|
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Position (s): Defensive End |
Jersey number (s): 65 |
| born March 1, 1946 in Trenton , New Jersey | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1968 - 1983 | |
| NFL Draft : 1968 / Round: 3 / Pick: 77 | |
| College : North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Games | 210 |
| as a starter | 178 |
| Touchdown | 1 |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
Elvin Bethea Lamont (* 1. March 1946 in Trenton , New Jersey born when Elvin Lamont Carey) Nickname : The Chicken Man or The Bear is a former American American football poker players. He played as a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) with the Houston Oilers .
youth
Elvin Bethea was born in Trenton to Henriette Carey and Jesse James Bethea. His father served as a military policeman during World War II . His parents married after Elvin was born, after which Elvin was only given his father's surname at the age of 13. Elvin Bethea had eight younger siblings. He grew up in poor conditions. His father was a casual worker after the war and also collected illegal game bets to support the family. Elvin had to work as a child. His father also ran a small chicken farm that Elvin had to take care of. This also earned him his nickname The Chicken Man . Despite all the hardship, his parents paid attention to their children's education.
In high school , Bethea played soccer and baseball . He sustained a serious eye injury at a soccer game. He had to be hospitalized for days. On medical advice, he withdrew from football. Despite the doctors' warnings, he joined the football team some time later, but was also active as a track and field athlete .
Player career
College career
Elvin Bethea received an athletic scholarship from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 1964 and received additional support from his college with a monthly payment of $ 15 . For the football team from Greensboro , the North Carolina A & T Aggies , he played in various positions. Because of his athletic achievements, he was elected Black All American in his last two years of study . The NFL scouts had also become aware of Bethea. Gil Brandt, the Dallas Cowboys' hiring manager , offered to select him in the NFL Draft . This did not happen. The opportunity was seized by the Houston Oilers, who offered him a two-year contract with annual earnings of $ 15,000. In addition, they guaranteed him a bonus of the same amount. Bethea accepted. For him, signing the contract meant that he could not take part in the 1968 Summer Olympics . Bethea was Bob Beamon's training partner and had qualified as a shot putter for the US eliminations. As a professional player, however, he was excluded from participating in the Olympic Games.
Professional career
Bethea was signed in Houston as a player for the offensive line . On the eighth day of the AFL, the Oilers, supervised by Wally Lemm , played against the Buffalo Bills , when Bethea was asked by an assistant coach in the middle of the game to enter the field and take the position of the defensive end. The Oilers were able to win the game 30: 7 and Bethea was to become one of the game-determining players in the defense of the Houston team as the right defensive end. In the following game year he should be elected for the first time in the Pro Bowl because of his athletic performance . This year he was able to move into the play-offs for the first time with the Oilers , where, however, in the AFL divisional play-off game the Oakland Raiders , who were trained by John Madden , were clearly defeated with 56: 7. In contrast to the development of the Oilers, who could only qualify for the play-offs again in 1978 , Bethea developed into a top player in the NFL. In 1975 Bum Phillips had taken over the coaching position in Houston from Sid Gillman . He finally managed to bring the team back to the top of the table in the NFL. In 1978, the Bethea team won ten of 16 games, but failed in the AFC Championship Game 37: 5 to the Pittsburgh Steelers , supervised by Chuck Noll . In the 1979 season , the Oilers had to admit defeat to the Steelers again in the AFC final. This time they lost by 27:13.
Elvin Bethea retired after the 1983 season . He held various team records when he was eliminated, including the record for most games and the record for most sacks at 105 (which were not officially counted until 1982). After his career, Bethea worked in the brewery industry.
Honors
Elvin Bethea played eight times in the Pro Bowl and was voted All-Pro eight times . He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. He is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame , the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, and his college hall of fame. The Tennessee Titans have banned his number and added him to the club's own hall of fame.
Individual evidence
- ^ Annual statistics of the Oilers 1969
- ↑ Statistics AFL divisional play-off game Oilers vs. Raiders 1969
- ^ Annual statistics of the Oilers 1978
- ↑ Statistics AFC Championship Game 1978
- ^ Annual statistics of the Oilers 1979
- ↑ Statistics AFC Championship Game 1979
Web links
- Elvin Bethea in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame
- Elvin Bethea in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
- Short biography (PDF; 24 kB)
- Elvin Bethea of the Tennessee Titans
source
- Elvin Bethea, Bum Phillips, Mark Adams, Smashmouth: My Football Journey from Trenton to Canton , Sports Publishing LLC, 2005, ISBN 9781582618814
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bethea, Elvin |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bethea, Elvin Lamont |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 1, 1946 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Trenton , New Jersey |